News that the painting will turn up at the Louvre Abu Dhabi does not resolve the mystery surrounding the identity of the buyer or buyers, though some had speculated that it was acquired by an Emirati museum or collector.

We now know that the Louvre Abu Dhabi is going to exhibit Leonardo Da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi", which sold last month in a Christie's Contemporary sale in NY for a cool $450 million. The museum pays Paris hundreds of millions of dollars for this as well as for the use of the Louvre name and managerial advice.

"Congratulations", Christie's said in a tweeted reply to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche reported that two investment firms were behind the purchase as part of a financial arrangement involving several museums. Buyers from the Middle East and Asia have been snapping up masterpieces to fill regional museums - and pushing prices ever higher.

The sale more than doubled the previous record of $179.4m paid for Pablo Picasso's The Women of Algiers (Version O) in 2015, also in NY.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi opened on November 8 in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron, who described the new museum as a "bridge between civilizations".

Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519 and there are fewer than 20 of his paintings in existence. As one of the seven sheikhdoms in the United Arab Emirates, and the one with the largest oil reserves, Abu Dhabi is entwined in a Saudi Arabian-led dispute with neighboring Qatar over its alleged support for terrorism.

The museum opened with some 600 pieces including items from early Mesopotamia. Under a 30-year agreement, France provides expertise, lends works of art and organizes exhibitions in return for one billion euros ($1.16 billion).

Believed to be the last Da Vinci in private hands, "Salvator Mundi" commanded four times what Christie's had projected even as skeptics questioned its authenticity.

The painting was sold again in 1958 and then acquired in 2005 by a consortium of art dealers who paid less than $US10,000.

Its latest sale was initiated by Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev, the boss of football club AS Monaco. Rybolovlev bought it in 2013 for $127.5 million from art dealer Yves Bouvier along with some other canvases.

Pentagon: About 2000 USA troops in Syria
Rob Manning also said that 5,200 United States troops are serving in Iraq, consistent with the previous count. Manning could not immediately say how many US troops were in Syria at its peak level.

Birth control linked to 20% higher risk of breast cancer
Unintended pregnancies cost the USA government $21 billion in 2010, according to a report from the Guttmacher Institute . The American Cancer Society says every year it's diagnosed in 200,000 women and a few men, and kills around 40,000.

Weight loss can reverse type 2 diabetes
Worldwide, the number of people with Type 2 diabetes has quadrupled over 35 years, largely due to the growth in obesity. Prediabetes was defined by the CDC as a condition that if not treated often leads to Type 2 diabetes within five years.

Ermold to run for County Clerk
Ermold officially announced his intent to run nearly a month later, taking to Twitter on December 6 to announce "It's official". He said Davis does a good job as clerk, but said he was troubled by her decision not to issue the marriage licenses.

Eating cheese every day may be good for you
Dutch and Chinese scientists examined dietary data from more than 200,000 people and came up with a surprising result. However, it is hard to conclude whether these associations had any influence on the study results.

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)
Zacks Investment Research raised H&R Block from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. It has outperformed by 10.53% the S&P500.The move comes after 6 months positive chart setup for the $5.98B company.

Blackhawks Hit New Milestone in Latest Franchise Valuation
Oshie (upper body) did not play. "He's figuring out how to create offense at the same time as being very responsible defensively". Ottawa lost its second straight game to start a season-high, seven-game road trip and has dropped nine of its last 10 contests.